Mercuria
Mercuria is a large world located in the Eastern Zone radius of the galaxy, which orbits a red dwarf star, Aristaeus. The planet presently is a robust Human colony, the center of human influence in the area. It's projection of influence lies on a direct astral "border" to the Nukua Empire and was the main base of human operations during the Alliance War. The planet is rugged and bone-dry. Aqueducts running based on mountain drainage and runoff allowed the population to survive, but the colony became increasingly reliant on outside sources for food. Luckily, in Scatha, the next system over, a fertile agricultural colony developed, and the two worlds developed a mutually beneficial trading relationship which endures to this day, alongside several treaties of military and economic cooperation between the two planets. This tight association became known as the MERSCA alliance. Geography Major Cities Geology Major Satellites Hohnir Hohnir is an rocky and desolate small moon, the only thing of note being the mining and excavation site there, which is not permanent, as the workers leave and regroup every half-year, strip-mining along several productive veins until the sources are nearly exhausted, then bringing the materials to Mercuria proper for export and refinement into more advanced or more useful metals. During the Alliance War, Hohnir saw the only permanent settlement, as the Mercurian Army established a battery of laser cannons and left behind a garrison of about 55,000 men, who were resupplied which each mining cycle. The battery consisted of 122 guns, and these were protected by conventional fortifications and tachyon fields in order to resist ground attacks and bombardment. Following the war, the troops and defense station were disbanded and dismantled, deemed an unnecessary consumption of resources now that the war is over. Paladin An even smaller moon, Paladin has a smoother and flatter surface than Hohnir, and unlike Hohnir does not receive the periodic visits of miners and military forces. The moon's main significance was the discovery of a crashed Nukualof starship there by periodic scans of the planet's surface conducted by teams on Mercuria, out of fear that the Nukualof may use the moon as a base. Unlike Hohnir however the moon was not as ideal for a military base, due to its geosynchronous and distant orbit, which meant that at least two bases would need to be maintained and supplied at the same time on either side of the moon, and its distance meant that any missiles launched from there would be more easily detected and shot down or countermeasured before being able to deal any sort of damage. Despite the risks, an excavation team was dispatched to clean through the wreckage of the crashed ship, and found straggling Nukualof-controlled Ishamshuk. The team deliberated but chose not to kill their possessed allies, neutralizing the survivors using Concussion Cannons. The examination and recovery of the Nukualof vessel which followed turned the tide of the Alliance War in the Alliance's favor, and allowed for a great many other developments to take place. Category:Planets